How to feed my cat after back surgery?

[Mxflamingnoravera]

I'm having surgery next week for a herniated disc. My son is coming home for the first week post op. I had my booking in assessment earlier this week, and it's clear that I cannot bend, twist or lift anything for 6 weeks. I bought a new fridge (with a freezer on top) so I could make tea and get food out. I've just fed the cat his lunch, it's just occurred to me that I won't be able to put his plate on the floor and he's an old boy so I doubt he could jump on to the counter. How am I going to put his food on the floor three times a day?

Has anyone had back surgery and can tell me how they managed in the early weeks post surgery? In general I mean, not just the cat, but any tips I should think about now, is a week too short for son staying (I live alone and don't really have a partner to call on and friends are working or live too far away to just pop in). Now I understand the need for convalescent homes. Any tips?

Grabber stick? Makes it easier to get socks and shoes on too.

Definitely a grabber. Might have to get a cat bowl with a sort of handle or groove to pick up to make it easier. Good luck, it's a touch recovery as you have to be so careful.

Dining table? Could we jump on a chair?

You can get no bend pooper scoopers too op, if your cat uses a litter tray. The market them to dog owners, but I’m sure you could scoop from a litter box too with them.

Our cats eat on a work surface in the utility room so that the dogs can’t get it. We put one of those waterproof tablecloths on top to protect the surface. Could you have a corner of your work surface for that and put a chair against it so he has two smaller jumps or make some kind of ramp for him?

That's a good idea. Also, I wonder if your cat eats biscuits worse case scenario you could use a scooper to drop the biscuits onto kitchen roll instead of eating out if a bowl. If you cant could manage that. Then you could use the grabber just to pick the up the kitchen roll.

I had a discectomy this summer and after a week you should be fine to feed your cat, just bend your knees and keep your back straight. Your DS can do it the first week.

You can squat I did a LOT of squatting post op! Just keep your back straight and don't bend
Spitting out toothpaste is also an interesting one
I had L5/S1 done for cauda equina so ask away if you have any questions!

My main tips are walk a lot (build it up) and lie or stand, don't sit

Oh and I did it alone, came back from hospital via taxi, live alone and had nobody to stay. It's doable. I was really tired so slept a lot, and had series to binge watch

He can't eat biscuits, he is sick so it's wet food only. Chair and table is a good idea. Grabber won't work for a plate of food, but I have got one.

Keep em coming, thanks 🙏

Gosh @PeloFondo well done, and thanks for the reassurance. Mi. Is also L5S1.

If your cat eats dry food you can get a timer release feeder. You or someone else would still need to fill up the tank, but probably only every few days.

There's a dustpan you can get with a long handle.
www.amazon.com/Angoily-Stainless-Household-Sweeping-Accessories/dp/B0BF8L6HCQ/ref=sr_1_9?keywords=dust+pan+with+long+handle&qid=1668176072&sr=8-9

Do you have a teenage neighbour who could help for a bit of spending money?

www.manageathome.co.uk/pd/no-bend-pet-bowl_12207? 😊

No teenagers locally unfortunately. The dustpan on a stick would work, I could put his dish on it and lower it down.

Ooh look at the no bend bowl! It's almost like a dollar SH on a dustpan! 😺

• a dish on a long handled dustpan!

Another vote for squats here, I had a hernia repair at the end of July and couldn't bend at the waist so took to squatting when I needed to pick up dog poop and whatnot

Just take things slow and steady

Until I realised I could squat, I was squishing the packet and launching it into the bowl from a height
Do not recommend, the cat ended up with a head full of food more than once

Long handled dust pan. Remove the brush, put cat plate on it and lower it to the floor. Leave the plate in the dust pan whilst they eat and hoist it back up again afterwards.

If you can't bend for a good while one of these would be a good idea anyway. Along with a grabber.

Don't use the grabber for transferring cat food plates, it slides out!

@PeloFondo poor pusscat! 😹

He just blinked at me like "you ok there human"
Also helpfully tried to knead my stitches better

Horse poop scoop. Like the long handled dustpan but sturdier - pic attached from eBay.

We're your stitches removed or were they dissolvable @PeloFondo? (Not removed by the cat obvs!)